Theodore Hoerr, Founding Principal of Terrain Work, will be a juror for "Nuclear" the international open ideas design competition for a landmarker for a waste isolation site. The competition sponsored by Arch Out Loud asks entrants to design a marker or marker system to deter inadvertent human intrusion into the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant. The marker should exist as a means of passive institutional control of the site for the duration of 10,000 years, following the closure and deactivation of the WIPP. For more information about "Nuclear" click here.

Terrain Work is collaborating with COVE Property Group and KPF on a new project at 441 9th Avenue in Manhattan. The plan is to reposition 441 Ninth Avenue as a “new” Class-A office development targeted to meet the needs of various tenants including TAMI (Technology, Advertising, Media and Information), fashion, financial and legal tenants. We are thrilled to work with a world class team of design and development experts in the heart of Manhattan. Stay tuned for more to come on this project at www.terrainwork.com

Terrain Work is looking for a creative and enthusiastic Landscape Architect or Designer with 1-4 years of working experience. Individuals with strong design and graphic representation abilities who are able to take drawings through construction are preferred. Candidates must be proficient in Rhino, AutoCAD, and the Adobe Suite to be considered for this position. Ability to sketch and/or build models with an interest in hybrid graphic practices is desirable. If you are interested in working in a small atelier practice where you will have the potential to grow with the company, please email your resume and work samples to thoerr@terrainwork.com. Please no phone calls.

Terrain Work is a New York City based design firm founded by Theodore Hoerr whose work explores how the emergent qualities of nature and culture create new forms and experiences in the built environment. They approach each project with a curiosity and collaborative spirit born out of the belief that landscapes should perform as both cultural provocateur and ecological system.

Theodore Hoerr, Founding Principal of Terrain Work, will be teaching Plants & Design at RISD with fellow plant aficionado Adam Anderson of Design Under Sky this spring. We will focus on how to innovate with plants in design and bring these living creatures back to the forefront of the design conversation in landscape architecture.

Over the last few decades plants have often been reduced to "green infrastructure" while the discourse surrounding them has been limited to largely ecological functions. These issues are important, no doubt, but they cast plants as more an instrumental tool rather than an artful muse. Plants have also been frequently maligned as just another "material" along with the likes of stone, brick, or concrete. We aim to change this. Along with our students our course will explore how plants have the ability to create culture, shape space, and provide atmospheric effects creating new experiences in the built environment. If there are any plant lovers out there we would love to hear your thoughts on this topic! Contact us at thoerr@terrainwork.com.

242 West 53rd Street is now being featured in the blog Field Condition. Situated in the heart of Manhattan and intertwined in a sixty story residential tower designed by Cetra Ruddy Architects and constructed by Pavarini McGovern, the landscape for West 53rd Street is embedded into the building at various levels offering a wide array of landcapes for vertical urban living. To learn more about this project that Theodore Hoerr led while a Principal at Balmori Associates click here.

Terrain Work recently created 'Mind Games' a temporary garden that explores our perceptions of childhood through the lens of adulthood. The garden is at once a representation of these myriad states of being, and a sensory experience that invites both children and adults to play in a field of fallen leaves - ten thousand balls of yellow, orange, and red. Mind Games is currently trying to find a home. If you are interested in speaking to us about implementing this project please contact us. To learn more about 'Mind Games' click here

242 West 53rd was recently in the news as construction gains momentum. Situated in the heart of Manhattan and intertwined in a sixty story residential tower designed by Cetra Ruddy Architects, the landscape for West 53rd Street is embedded into the building at various levels, offering a wide array of spaces for outdoor dining, swimming, performance, sunbathing, and relaxation. Of particular importance, is a 3,000-square-foot blueroof that is both a performance art piece and intricate water managment infrastructure that slowly releases water back into the storm sewer system over a twenty four hour period. To learn more about this project that Theodore Hoerr led while a Principal at Balmori Associates click here.

It is with a heavy heart to share that on November 14th, 2016, Diana Balmori passed away. Diana was a mentor, teacher, and confidant to many people over the years, including me. She always made time for the intellectually curious, whether it was a nascent student of landscape architecture or an established contemporary. Her influence was broad and wide-ranging, and her passion for landscape as a medium that could transform the way we live and interact with nature was second to none.

For five years we spent countless hours together, both working in her office as well as teaching at Yale. When I first came to work in her office in early 2011 it was unlike any other environment that I had experienced in the past, both professional or academic. From the outset there was a relentless fervor and zeal placed on how to draw and how the process of drawing played a fundamental role in seeing and conceptualizing landscape. This idea of drawing was not limited to a particular instrument – computer, pencil, pen, etc. - nor was it exclusive to a particular medium – drawing, painting, collage, physical models, dioramas, digital models, film, video. It was wide open. Experimentation was always encouraged and a fundamental part of her work. I once heard the saying, “To draw is to see the world with your eye, mind, and your heart.” Diana embodied this approach and used it to push the boundaries of envisioning landscape. By doing so, she moved the discipline and discourse of landscape forward. Among her many accomplishments perhaps one of the most impactful and enduring qualities she instilled in me, and I suspect many others working in her office through the years, was the ability to see landscape anew.

The profession of landscape architecture has lost a visionary, but beyond that, many of us have lost a mentor, colleague, friend, and family member. Diana will be missed, but her ideas will live on in the people and places she inspired. A link to her obituary in the NY Times can be found here. Image courtesy of Balmori Associates

The University of Iowa Hancher Auditorium was recently featured on ArchDaily. The landscape for Hancher consists of an innovative water management system that captures, cleans, and infiltrates water from the surrounding area into the ground. This reduces runoff into the the Iowa River to help mitigate future flooding events, and create a more resilient riverfront landscape. Theodore Hoerr led the landscape architectural design of this project while a Principal at Balmori Associates in collaboration with Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects. To learn more about how this project transformed the Art Campus landscape on the banks of the Iowa River click here.

Theodore Hoerr, Founding Principal of Terrain Work, was in New Orleans this past week as part of the national ASLA conference. Theodore presented how teaching helps to shape and influence the ideological underpinnings of a professional practice. He was part of a panel discussion titled, "Learn by Teaching: Erasing the Academic and Practice Divide" with Tiffany Beamer, Partner, OLIN Partnership, Claire Fellman, Director, Snohetta, Ron Henderson, Professor/Director of Landscape Architecture at IIT and Founding Principal of L + A Landscape Architects, and Moderator Nilay Mistry, Adjunct Professor of Landscape Architecture at IIT. It was a fantastic weekend seeing old friends and making new ones in NOLA. Hope to see everyone in Los Angeles next year!

Terrain Work has begun the urban design and planning for a new 33 acre Eco(tonal) Community on the site of a former tree production nursery in Central Illinois. The community will be organized around the ecotones of several landscape types: Deciduous Hardwood Forest, Shortgrass Prairie, and Littoral. A central wildlife corridor creates a link for both species and residents to move between an adjacent hardwood forest, and a shared open space surrounding a small lake. A water management plan for the community will capture and treat all runoff generated on the site through a network of bio-cells distributed throghout the community. Visit us at terrainwork.com for updates on this project.

Theodore Hoerr, Founding Principal of Terrain Work, will be presenting at the National American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) Conference in New Orleans on Monday, October 24th. In a panel discussion titled, "Learn by Teaching: Erasing the Academic and Practice Divide," Theodore, along with Tiffany Beamer, Partner, OLIN Partnership, Claire Fellman, Director, Snohetta, Ron Henderson, Professor/Director of Landscape Architecture at IIT and Founding Principal of L + A Landscape Architects, and Moderator Nilay Mistry, Adjunct Professor of Landscape Architecture at IIT, will explore the advantages of being both an educator and practitioner. The session will be from 8:00am - 9:30am on Monday October 24th. For more information click here. Hope to see you there!

Terrain Work has started several new projects recently, including this garden in Lebanon, New Jersey. Situated on a picturesque three acre site at the edge of a mature woodland, the new garden will feature a series of cascading terraces down the hillside that act as an armature for raised vegetable and herb parterres while also providing access to an entertainment lawn. A path will be circumscribed into the meadow and existing woodland areas to unify the property so that it can be enjoyed both visually and experientially. Finally, a meadow of native plant species will serve as the underlying planting matrix for a large portion of the site. The meadow plants have been selected to attract a variety of New Jersey native birds and butterflies in addition to providing a striking visual backdrop of flowering meadow plants and grasses that change in texture and color from season to season.

Theodore Hoerr was recently elected as the Vice-Chair of the Hamilton Park Conservancy. Hamilton Park dates back to the early 19th century and is located at the heart of the historic Hamilton Park Neighborhood that was added to the National Registry of Historic Places in 1979. The 5.4 acre park and its stately landscape create a picturesque setting for the historic neighborhood with Victorian brownstones lining its borders. The Conservancy was created in 2010 to ensure this beautiful public resource is maintained for future generations to enjoy.

The University of Iowa is excited to announce the ribbon cutting and open house for Hancher Auditorium is scheduled for September 9th at 3:00pm! Theodore Hoerr led the design of this project while a Principal at Balmori Associates in collaboration with Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects. To learn more about how this project is transforming the Art Campus landscape on the banks of the Iowa River click here.

The proposal for the Tianjin Academy of Fine Arts campus expansion in collaboration with Ennead Architects was recently featured on ArchDaily. The proposal hybridizes two archetypal landscapes, the campus and the park, cultivating a new landscape where the academy is also viewed as a civic expression of the city. Theodore Hoerr led the design of this project while he was a Principal at Balmori Associates. To learn more about the landscape design for the Tianjin Academy of Fine Arts click here.

Construction for Terrain Work's Urban Sponge Garden in Hoboken is nearing completion. This small garden will have a broad impact. Learn more about how this space contributes to a larger city wide initiative to manage stormwater runoff in Hoboken at www.terrainwork.com. Come visit the garden on June 5th when it will be featured on the Hoboken Secret Garden Tour.

SoHo Tower was recently in the news after architect Renzo Piano Building Workshop unveiled the design scheme for this residential development in Manhattan. Theodore Hoerr led the landscape architectural design for this project while a Principal at Balmori Associates. Find out more about SoHo Tower landscape at terrainwork.com.